10.28.2014

With the ever changing trends in the independent toy world, we are more grateful than ever for your interest and support of Glyos. Without the connections that we share together, this whole adventure would be meaningless, and the fact that we've survived for all this time is a testament to those bonds.

It's been a year of many strange turns, and I believe more than ever that we are in the midst of a paradigm shift in the way that we interface with our collecting habits. The rise of the independent action figure has been elevated to even greater heights by groups like the Four Horsemen and Boss Fight Studio, with powerful (and well publicized) Kickstarter campaigns that proved both inspirational and eye opening. Fresh companies that also emerged through Kickstarter were Warpo and IAmElemental, both of whom established themselves quickly with exciting and comprehensive campaigns. When you begin to analyze just how small the amount of people that truly make up the independent toy fan base is in comparison to the mainstream toy world, you really start to understand how incredibly risky all these unique and smaller projects actually are.

The pre-order model is quickly becoming the only way for anything to remotely stand a chance of getting produced, targeting the core audience and asking for a commitment up front (where you essentially purchase multiple waves of a toy line at one time) that in nearly all cases becomes a better deal with the more you spend. This is an excellent method for those of us who choose to go "all in", but if someone only wants a taste, the single unit cost usually falls a bit on the high side. This system seems to be the major draw of the Kickstarter model, and I'm extremely interested to see how it evolves as more companies have no choice but to use it. Personally, I'm thankful that Kickstarter exists, even if it has forced certain older models closer to their commercial graves. In many ways, the emergence of the crowd funded model has equalized and rationalized the basic viability of any given project proposal.

Moving forward, we will continue to keep the releases on the smaller side for the majority of 2015 (with only a few slightly larger waves planned), as well as placing additional focus on a few other projects that delve into the mythos of the Glyos System, reminiscent of our older booklets. Some new partner companies will begin to emerge next year, and some older partnerships will separate and travel in different directions. I'm fairly certain that 2015 will continue the roller coaster ride that has been in full effect since 2013, keeping things moving through thick and thin. That being said, no matter what occurs, we'll stay present and focused on bringing you our very best.

Thank you for reading and for inspiring us to keep pushing into the unknown!

Traveler Harcoriun operates as Tracker's partner when called upon, and stands as one of the original participants involved in the Glyaxia controlled Axis Evolution Program.

Throughout numerous missions, Harcoriun has exhibited an almost reckless willingness to push the limits of the Axis Tech, regardless of the risks. Despite this dangerous characteristic, Tracker trusts few as implicitly as Harcoriun.

Tracker was awakened during the initial development of the Sarvos Program, and served as the main experimental prototype for the duration of the project's early life cycle.Unknown to the majority of Travelers that are granted the rank of Sarvos, an inhibitor mechanism is imbedded within the core of the Sarvos armor, which acts as a kill switch in the event a Sarvos goes rogue or defies its orders. The primary reason behind the genesis of the Sarvos Program was to gain absolute control of the strongest Travelers- by tempting them with even greater power. The secret price of this advancement is only realized after it's too late to turn back.

The only known Sarvos that has discovered a way to directly override this effect is Tracker.

10.23.2014

The Crayboth have found an interesting rhythm around here this year, after lurking in the background for the majority of their collective existence. This mini release gives the little (and now sometimes big) guys one more round in the spotlight before the year comes to an end. Themed to coincide with the upcoming Halloween festivities, we just couldn't resist the opportunity to make a jack o'lantern inspired Crayboth! Rounding out the assortment of Crays for Sunday night's release are a few other Autumn born color selections, as well as a throwback color mix from our early days (Spirico).

Exploring the different angles of a familiar landscape is very much at the core of Glyos in general, and can sometimes be a divisive aspect of how this project operates. Reproducing the same basic design and finding ways to evolve the source material is a challenge that we still really love around here, and the specific production limitations can actually promote creativity in unexpected ways. After all these years, I still carry a figure around in my pocket no matter where I go, and I do it every day. That small piece of plastic serves as a connection to the dreams of my youth, and reminds me that I never gave up on chasing them. I personally hope that you find something that makes you smile around here, something that makes you feel creative, and that you know the people behind Glyos still absolutely love sharing this strange world with you.

10.19.2014

Things have been a little quiet around these parts this month, but the gears have still been steadily turning! A small release is planned for Sunday, October 26th, at 9:30PM EST. The previously set assortment of things has been slightly shuffled, and the new Armorvors will not be surfacing until late November/early December. The new head has been a stubborn little bugger, and I'm looking forward to sharing the process of its creation with you here on the blog.

The main focus of next Sunday's wave is a particular version of Sarvos that's been on deck for a bit. Back when the first Custom Corps rolled out, lots of unique characters were created for the project, and one of my personal favorites was a figure combination called Tracker Sarvos. Tracker had a bulked up right arm that was outfitted with Phase Arm parts, and featured a red, grey and black color selection (paying homage to Matt Trakker of M.A.S.K.). It was tough for me to let that little guy out into the wild, because I had carried it around with me (like dozens of future CCs) and had lots of fun going on various adventures, developing the character's personality. I imagined this Tracker Sarvos as something of a lone wolf, called in to deal with the strange and unexplained. Part Mulder and part Clint Eastwood with a dash of Kwai Chang Caine.

Now, after thinking about making Tracker Sarvos again since back in the CC days, we will be releasing a full production version. The specific colors are set up to connect directly with the Crayhunter and Rig Crew waves, and the color swapping between all of the assortments is pretty fun if you enjoy customizing your stuff. The final wave of 2014 (late November/early December) will also build on the recent assortments, and allow for a very Real Type end to the year.

Additionally, to celebrate the Fall season and cause Tracker Sarvos some trouble, some Halloween inspired Crayboth are set to invade on Sunday as well! The full list will go up later this week, with pics starting tomorrow. A few small surprises are also in store!

10.10.2014

We may not be in NYC this year for comic con, but a certain Traveler is scheduled to warp into the ring with the Kaiju Big Battel crew on Saturday, October 11th, intent on grappling with Mr. Borden's monstrosities for the first time since 2011.

If you feel like seeing something totally bananas and 100% insane, check out the show here.

10.05.2014

The Beetle Master from Beyond, Marty "The Godbeast" Hansen, has something extra special available tonight. Jump over to Marty's store to meet Sectivorus Supreme, golden leader of the Knights Beetorian, as well as the rugged Rig Crew colored Ground Beetorians. Now with more paint applications than ever before, these new Kabuto Mushis have emerged to join in on the action.

This wave marks the very first Kabuto Mushi MK II (Sectivorus Supreme) to feature detail lines, which truly does bring a different look and feel to Marty's sculpt. Over the years I've become equally interested in both detail lined and straight PVC, so getting to have the option to check out both styles is very satisfying. Variety will definitely factor more into the equation as we close in on 2015.

Well done Marty! These new additions were absolutely worth the risk of your investment. I'm looking forward to seeing the next round of Knights!

10.02.2014

Happy Birthday Bubba! Arcadia Jayne Doughty turned 10 years old today, and has now entered the world of double digits. She also pulled out one of her loose teeth at dinner (our maniac child), so the Tooth Fairy even gets in on the celebration!

Also posted above is a screen shot from a stop motion video (starts at 4:18) that Cady made this past August while attending a special Acton TV Stop Animation Camp. She seems to have the same focus on the strange as the rest of us around here! Big thanks to Ron and Shane at Acton TV for showing Cady the ropes over at their studio.

10.01.2014

The above image was put together back when we were concentrating on Ollen's various animations, working out how the little guy would evolve into his adult form. At one point we had the individual drawings up there all linked together as one transformation GIF, but shuffled things around before we put it to use. In the end this pic landed as the placeholder for our "coming soon" comics page on the old 2002 site.